Volume 1, Chapter 17 – Lure the Tiger from the Mountain

Across the road at the “Chilong Circuit Third Hospital,” the students whom Bai Xiang had beaten earlier—and who’d come to get checked—stared, slack-jawed, as a swarm of medical staff rushed out, then ushered in a swarm of black-clad officers.

“This time, Classmate Bai, truly—thank you.”

After her exam, Fang Wenya came to Bai Xiang’s ward with Tao Shuohua specifically to thank her.

To be honest, what happened tonight was a bit too fantastical.

Trapped in a demon outbreak, everyone had racked their brains and still couldn’t figure out how to break the enemy. Then a white-haired girl knocked, looked at them calmly, and said—It’s fine. The Demon Pool has been dealt with.

And it wasn’t just the Demon Pool.

As a noble daughter, Fang Wenya could hear all the inside news. She knew full well that their enemy this time, the Demon-Immortal Dao, hadn’t only planted a Demon Pool—they’d also posted a formal member to watch over it.

A formal member of the Demon-Immortal Dao—Tao Shuohua said such a person could already “stain the body with demonic aura,” and you’d need at least Forge-the-Sword level to confront them head-on.

And this girl… her name was “Bai Xiang”?

They all said her cultivation was only first-stage Nurture the Spirit—so how had she pulled off such a feat?

Watching Bai Xiang lying on the bed, her right hand bandaged, enjoying apple slices Chen Jing was feeding her, Fang Wenya’s heart brimmed with curiosity.

Chen Jing, by contrast, wasn’t overthinking a thing.

The baby-faced twin-tailed girl had, at first sight, flung herself into Bai Xiang’s arms crying and laughing, with nothing but gratitude to Heaven in her heart.

Chen Jing was certain it was Heaven—the legendary Heavenly Dao—watching over her. It had calculated this calamity and arranged Bai Xiang as her deskmate on purpose.

Sister Xiang is amazing!

Sister Xiang is the best!

Sister Xiang is a sword immortal in the flesh! A fairy descended!

Sister Xiang is my… forever GOAT!

Bai Xiang was texting Bai Shengju a report of tonight’s results; to Fang and Tao she only lifted her head and gave a simple nod.

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“No need to be so polite.”

“To be fair, I had my own reasons. I went in mostly to save my classmates.”

“Judge the deed, not the motive!” That made Tao Shuohua like Bai Xiang even more. “Even if you went in just to save your friends, you still saved Wenya—and everyone else who might’ve died!”

“Either way, I’m making friends with you!” She thumped her chest. “I saw Zhang Daoming and the others had you save their numbers? Come on, save mine too!”

“Aunt Tao…” Fang Wenya couldn’t help a wry smile.

Tao Shuohua looked twenty-something, but that was just her maintenance—she was actually forty-three.

At your seniority, if you and Bai Xiang are “friends,” how am I supposed to address her afterward?

If I follow proper rites, wouldn’t I have to call Classmate Bai “Aunt Bai”!?

Tao Shuohua didn’t care what Fang Wenya thought. She only knew she’d had a brush with death, and Bai Xiang wasn’t just Wenya’s savior—she was Tao Shuohua’s savior too!

“I’ve got some pull with Hantian.”

Seeing Bai Xiang save the number she gave, Tao Shuohua followed up.

“Your talent’s excellent. If you don’t want to limit yourself to Qizhou, you could consider heading south to Luezhou.”

“At Hantian, and at Luejing—so long as you’re willing to come, I can personally secure you a spot!”

“Hantian,” likely from the idiom “Hantian Chidi” (blazing heavens and scorched earth)—in Great Yu, only the “Hantian Sword Dao” dared take that name.

Hantian Sword Dao is one of the Nine Daos, and Luejing University is Luezhou’s best—equivalent to Qizhou University’s standing in Qizhou.

Chen Jing’s eyes went wide. So this kooky “aunt” had serious backing!

To toss out a promise like that—she definitely wasn’t some ordinary bigwig; she might even be related to the Hantian Dao Lord.

“Thank you,” Bai Xiang said politely.

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“But I probably won’t go to Luezhou.”

“Why?”

At that, everyone in the ward froze.

Bai Xiang… did she not grasp what this opportunity meant?

This wasn’t some ordinary invite—no “Big Exam” and sword exam first, then decide about Luezhou. This was straight-up exemption!

No Big Exam, no sword exam, no nothing—nod once, and you’d be admitted directly, maybe even enter Hantian Sword Dao, one of the Nine Daos!

Who could refuse that?

“Because I have reasons I must attend Qizhou University.”

Bai Xiang glanced at the cloud-pattern wooden sword on the bedside table.

“Sorry—this isn’t something I can discuss.”

What reason could be worth giving that up?

Tao Shuohua opened her mouth, but Fang Wenya tugged her aside, and the two huddled in a corner to confer.

Bai Xiang, of course, saw it all. She said nothing—just quietly tapped away, finishing her message.

At first Chen Jing insisted on feeding her, but once Bai Xiang had finished the apple, and with nothing else to do, the exhausted girl laid her head by the bed and fell asleep.

Fang Wenya and Tao Shuohua finished “conferring”—really, they’d decided to investigate the matter quietly. Wenya sat on the nearby bed and said to Bai Xiang, “Do you know… the weight of the numbers you saved tonight?”

Bai Xiang set down her phone. “I do.”

Zhang Daoming and the others were all high-ranking. Grateful as they were, they couldn’t humble themselves to hand over private numbers one by one.

Only Zhang Daoming gave his personal number—he especially thanked Bai Xiang for saving Han Li and Zhao Xiaoqin. The others gave their aides’ numbers, so she could reach out for anything.

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But that was already a lot.

Think about whose aides those are.

Put it this way—from tonight on, within the Chilong Circuit, in this circuit city, Bai Xiang already holds a special status.

So long as she doesn’t commit heinous crimes, doesn’t side with demon-cults, doesn’t betray the imperial house, and just trains with the sword and takes the martial exams… she and her family’s latter half of life basically won’t be something she needs to fret over herself.

“But it’s what you deserve.”

Fang Wenya looked earnestly into her eyes.

“The Demon-Immortal Dao… a branch of Great Yu’s demon-cult factions.”

“They call themselves ‘follow the new law, annihilate the old,’ and their demagoguery has duped a good many. They roam the Nine Provinces, leaving great slaughter wherever they go.”

“Wenya is aware Zhou Ji poisoned you.”

“Without you, Wenya would have died today.”

“Wenya doesn’t fear death—but she fears those demon-cults would use her death to make a grand show and ignite a blaze of demon-chaos in Qizhou.”

“So, not just for Wenya, but for the people of Qizhou—big sister, please accept this salute.”

Wearing a chic, modern dress, she nonetheless bent her knees and offered Bai Xiang a traditional bow.

Bai Xiang watched her throughout; when she heard the Demon-Immortal Dao’s past methods, her brows knit slightly.

“What is it?”

Tao Shuohua noticed something off in her expression. “Something wrong?”

“The Demon-Immortal Dao…”

Bai Xiang paused.

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“They act with purpose.”

“Of course.” Tao Shuohua’s eyes widened. “They’re vicious as they come!”

“Then what was their purpose in targeting you this time?” Bai Xiang asked.

“Just to frame the Qingya Sword Dao?”

Huh?

The two exchanged a look—thinking it over, that did seem to be the case.

Such an elaborate setup—evading searches to plant a Demon Pool in a school.

If it were purely to kill Fang Wenya, with a formal member already on watch, why not just have them do it directly? Why let the Demon Pool spread slowly?

All just to frame the Qingya Sword Dao?

At that, Tao Shuohua couldn’t help recalling the rare sight of Chilong’s top brass gathering en masse tonight.

Not good!

Her face changed. She whipped out her phone and dialed.

“Hello? It’s me… Tao Shuohua…”

“I want to know—what? How could that be!?”

She muttered behind the curtain a bit, then came back to the bedside, face dark, and told Fang Wenya and Bai Xiang: “Tonight’s ploy was to lure the tiger from the mountain.”

“While everyone’s eyes were on this side, the Jade Phoenix Sword enshrined at Longhua Temple… was stolen.”